Essex have confirmed the appointment of former England and Yorkshire bowler Chris Silverwood as their new bowling coach, following the recent departure of Graeme Welch.

Essex have confirmed the appointment of former England and Yorkshire bowler Chris Silverwood as their new bowling coach, following the recent departure of Graeme Welch.

Silverwood, who is 35 in March, is currently in Zimbabwe working with their cricket academy, but first team coach Paul Grayson was delighted with the news.

"Chris will be joining us as bowling coach from March 1 when the players report back for full pre-season training," he said.

"He will also travel with us to Barbados where he will be able to work really close with the bowlers as we prepare for the start of the season.

"We were obviously keen to replace Graeme (Welch) as quickly as possible.

"Chris is a highly respected person having played plenty of first-class cricket and of course he has represented England.

"He is desperately keen to make an impact and is the perfect bowling coach for the club as he ticks all of the boxes.